The Aporia
Rogan, T. (2026, November 4). Trump likely to become more erratic following midterm elections debacle. Washington Examiner. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/4790648/trump-more-erratic-midterms-debacle/
Rogan, Tom. “Trump likely to become more erratic following midterm elections debacle.” Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/4790648/trump-more-erratic-midterms-debacle/.
Rogan, Tom. “Trump likely to become more erratic following midterm elections debacle.” Washington Examiner, November 4, 2026. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/4790648/trump-more-erratic-midterms-debacle/.
Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.
As of November 3, 2026, the U.S. midterm elections concluded with a decisive victory for the Democratic Party, which took control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, stripping President Donald Trump's Republican party of their majorities in Congress. Democrats secured over 260 seats in the House and at least 56 seats in the Senate, marking a significant shift from previous expectations that they would only capture one chamber.
The elections were held amid rising concerns about affordability issues under Trump’s presidency, despite his reassurances to the contrary. Voter turnout was near-record high, with over 122 million ballots counted, reflecting widespread dissatisfaction among Americans with the state of the country and policies enacted during Trump's term.
Political analysts had initially predicted a challenging path for Democrats due to factors like voter fatigue and regional strongholds traditionally supporting Republicans. However, Democratic candidates performed exceptionally well across several previously Republican-held states such as Texas, South Carolina, and Kansas.
This outcome could significantly impact U.S. domestic policy over the next two years but may also escalate existing trade tensions and conflicts with global partners like China, given Trump’s continued hardline stance on foreign relations despite the new political landscape in Washington.
Democrats won big in the midterm elections. Very big.
Trump bears significant responsibility for this loss.
The war on Iran, designed for regime change rather than to blunt Iran’s nuclear program, was a predictably foolish gambit that weakened America’s ability to deal with the far more important threat from China.
Trump’s decision to focus his concluding election speech on improvements to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and not, say, inflation, encapsulates these failures.